Finding Joy in the Melodies of Life

Finding Joy in the Melodies of Life

On a busy Friday morning at the L'Enfant Plaza in Washinton D.C., a young man dressed in a T-shirt and jeans took out a violin and began to play. For the next 45 minutes, the sounds of Bach, Schubert, Ponce, and Massenet could be heard echoing between the halls of the building. Out of the more than one thousand people who passed by, twenty-seven dropped a few dollars into his violin case, and only seven paused to listen to the music.  Unbeknownst to the crowd, that man was Joshua Bell—one of the most famous and talented violinists in the world. His violin? Bell purchased it for nearly $4 million. And just a few days prior, Bell’s sold-out concert at the Symphony Hall in Boston brought in over $250,000 in revenue. Needless to say, his street performance at the plaza, though largely overlooked by those in attendance, was a masterpiece that any classical music lover would be dismayed to have missed (Weingarten, 2007).  

Yoga: A Comparison Between Yoga and Mindfulness Practices

Yoga: A Comparison Between Yoga and Mindfulness Practices

Recently in my yoga class, I've noticed numerous conceptual similarities between the practice of yoga and mindfulness meditation. As the teacher guides us through the session, it resembles the structured mindfulness meditations that I’ve grown to love. At the start of each class, she prompts us to introspect and decide on a focus for the day. Throughout the session, she directs our attention to our breath, synchronizing our inhales and exhales with our movements. When we engage in "binds" — positions where our limbs intertwine — we reflect on the symbolic binds within our minds that may impede our progress. Towards the end of every session, we recline into savasana, also known as corpse pose, and concentrate on clearing our minds, breathing deeply from the diaphragm, and scanning our bodies for any areas of tension. 

Encouraging Men to Open Up

Encouraging Men to Open Up

Men seek help from mental health professionals less often than women although they are more likely to die by suicide (Addis & Mahalik, 2003). Men are less likely to recognize when they need help, practice healthy coping strategies, and cooperate in therapy (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Lynch et al., 2018). Many researchers found that men may not seek help because it violates traditional male gender norms (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Wasylkiw & Clairo, 2018; Yousaf et al., 2015). Society expects men to avoid emotions, which may prevent them from healthily working through difficult emotions; this could contribute to higher suicide rates among men. Men are socialized to be stoic and independent, so they may feel embarrassed or anxious to address their emotions (Yousaf et al., 2015). Additionally, society often describes emotionally vulnerable males as attention-seeking, unstable, or weak (Vogel et al., 2007). So, how can our society encourage men to open up if they want to? 

Beyond Burnout: Cultivating Resilience and Well-being

Beyond Burnout: Cultivating Resilience and Well-being

As with most college students, I have kept myself very busy throughout my whole college career. After all four years… I. AM. TIRED! It is harder than before to focus on my future goals, much less school work. I find myself overly stressed and easily tired out after finishing just a couple of assignments. It is difficult to relax with all the work on my mind and yet I can’t stop procrastinating. I get so easily sucked into my phone and other distractions that it’s a struggle to even start my work. Some may call this phase, senior burnout.  According to psychologytoday.com (Sussex Publishers, n.d.), burnout is defined as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.” Signs of burnout can be cynicism, depression, dread of work, emptiness, and hopelessness. There may even be some physical repercussions such as tiredness, headaches, heartburn, and stomach problems.  

How to Live a Good Story

How to Live a Good Story

Few things exist that everyone in this world appreciates; however, a good story is one of those few things. There is something so satisfying about reading a great novel, watching a clever movie, or listening to your friend’s juicy story that has you hanging on by the edge of your seat. A good story is captivating, moving, and inspiring. Now think of your life. Is your life a great story? Are you captivated, moved, or inspired by the life you live? If you answered no to these questions or want to make your life a better story than it currently is, then this blog is for you!  So, what makes a good story?

The Power to Offer Comfort to Those Experiencing Grief

The Power to Offer Comfort to Those Experiencing Grief

There is no way to see a 6-year-old body in a casket and not feel something heavy inside. This past week, I was reminded again of the fragility of life and the deep ocean that grief can be as I attended the funeral of my friend’s 6-year-old son who passed unexpectedly and tragically. Coincidentally, my husband was simultaneously out of town attending his uncle’s funeral and our family was also commemorating the anniversary of the death by suicide of a close family member. There was so much inside me as I drove home thinking of all these losses. How could they possibly ever be overcome? I wondered if there was anything I could do the lighten the load of grief for these close friends and family. I thought back to a poem I’d studied in my 8th grade English class by Ella Wilcox called Solitude which ends with this stanza:  

Exploring the Meaning Behind Resilience

Exploring the Meaning Behind Resilience

Resilience is a characteristic that most people probably strive to master—in life, there are countless opportunities and rewards we may long for, but they aren’t guaranteed. It requires work to obtain these rewards. And, even after putting in the work, our efforts may not yield a desirable outcome. This is where resilience comes in—being able to move forward without giving up. I wanted to learn more about resilience from a scientific perspective, so I turned to positive psychology journals and found a lot more than I was expecting. Needless to say, resilience has a lot of aspects to it that I was not expecting! It helped me to understand myself better and see opportunities for growth, rather than trying to label myself as either “resilient” or “weak”. I thought it would be more meaningful to rely not only on the scientific definitions I found, but also on the lived experiences of some of the most resilient people I know.

The Importance of Love on Well-Being

The Importance of Love on Well-Being

Love, a complex and multifaceted emotion, transcends conventional boundaries and encompasses a spectrum of sentiments, ranging from affection and tenderness to empathy and connection (Vangelisti & Perlman, 2019). In the contemporary discourse, psychologists like Barbara Fredrickson have emphasized that love defies rigid categorization and flourishes in myriad forms, influencing various aspects of human experience (Fredrickson, 2019). 

Moreover, recent research underscores that love extends beyond romantic relationships to include the bonds we share with friends, family, and even strangers .These diverse expressions of love contribute significantly to individuals' well-being and social connectedness, fostering resilience and emotional fulfillment. By acknowledging and appreciating the richness of love in its various forms, individuals cultivate a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in human relationships and enhance their overall quality of life.

The Nuclear Waste That is Toxic Positivity

The Nuclear Waste That is Toxic Positivity

How often do you hear phrases like “it could be worse” or “look on the bright side,” and yet somehow you feel worse? Although well-intentioned, phrases like these and many others can do more harm than good. Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter the circumstances, difficult or dire, all people should maintain a positive outlook and mindset. This mindset rejects all hard emotions to ensure a cheerful day and often a false facade. This kind of forced positivity is almost a compulsion to view life as a series of positive events, followed by being hopeful about the positive times to come. However, no matter how well-intended this idea is, people soon realize that life is not always rainbows and butterflies. Just like two positives make a negative — This form of forced positivity denies reality and is not helpful (Tiffany, 2023). Leaning towards a form of toxicity.

How to Forgive Yourself and Others Through Self-Compassion

How to Forgive Yourself and Others Through Self-Compassion

Before I get into this, know there is a lot more where this story came from. I was with my entire family for winter break. After enjoying a wonderful Christmas day, I had the holiday bliss and warm-loving feeling ripped right out from under me a few days later. Here’s the gist: (1) my credit card information was stolen, (2) as I was talking to my bank on the phone to figure everything out the call dropped and I was locked out of my phone… turns out I was talking to hackers and not my actual bank, (3) my Apple ID was hacked, (4) my bank account was drained, (5) I was locked out of all my accounts and couldn’t change anything, and (5) I found out a week after all this terrible stuff that my car was broken into. Let’s just say it wasn’t a very happy New Year for me. After going through the cycle of shock, utter distress, mourning, anger, and hopelessness, I was left with the empty feeling of shame. Even though getting scammed was not inherently my fault, I felt so foolish. I should’ve known what was happening, I should’ve noticed the signs, etc. This rumination of not being able to forgive myself or the hackers who had done this to me was weighing on me heavily.